The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1887-10-13
A MARRIAGE EXCHANGE.
Organized Assistance for People Wish
ing to Wed-A New Thing in
American Social Economy.
From the Neu York Sun,

Many startling Innovations upon
established usage, especially in so
cial matters, have had their begin
ming in this city, but anything. quite
so startling as the regular, public
aud organized assistance of emigra
tion into the state Of natrimony it
has remained for the past year and
the efforts Of a New Hampshire
Yankee and his wife to introduce to
:he metropolis.
Ir France there have long been
regular matrimonial bureaus, but
their general reputation has not been
above reproach, and at best they
have been but markets for trading in
heiresses and other desirable goods
in the marriage line. Germany has
q few bureaus, and there is one large
one-probably the largest in the
world-at London. This one paid
$4,000 rent last year, and is said tc
be very excellent institution in its
way.
1t would probably startle the ar
erage citizen to be told that men and
women by the thousand have come
to make the getting of a husband OF
a wife a matter Of business, going
for what they want to a regular mar
ket, where the wares are displayed,
either in person or by written de-
scription, and picking out what they
think will suit them.
Yet, if the statements of the su-
perintendent of marriage market
that is now in existence in this city
are to be believed, not only this but
much more is true. Men and wo-
men are all the time coming from all
parts Of the country, from New Eng,
land, Colorado, Kansas and the
South, with the distinct object of
getting e mate to- take home with
them. They engage bosrd in New
York, put themselves on the market,
as it were, and remain here for days
or weeks, until they get what they
want and can return home married,
OF, at any rate, engaged. There are
said to be at least twenty-five per.
sons, mostly women. staying in New
York at the present time with that
object in view, and they are coming
and going all the time. This is aside
from brisk local market, in which
the trading is constant and lively.
The superintendent wife, who is
assistant superintendent, is little
woman in a plain, gray dress, with
bright gray eyes and a dimple in
either cheek. When she gets to talk.
ing on the subject Of business her
enthusiasm makes her cheeks rosy,
and between her dimples and her
bright eyes, and the magnetism OF
her smile, it is almost possible to for.
get that she wears her dark hair in q
very unbecoming knot on the top Of
her head. She would make, fol-
looks, an ideal Yankee school marm
Her husband is H. B. Wellman
and for enthusiasm he fairly matches
her. He is of the blue.eyed New
England type, with rather long brown
hair brushed back from his forehead
after the style of reformer. He is
just as shrewd.lookiug as his wife, land
talks with an aggressive, straight
ahead air that goes to verify his
statement that he studied for She
ministry at Williams College, and
was only prevented from becoming 8
regular clergyman by the fact that
his eyes gave out, and New York
oculist told him the only thing thai
would save them would be for him tc
drop books and devote himself tc
open air work. He bought some
land in the West for 81 an acre, an6
farmed it until be sold it for SO ar
acre. Then he invested in stock
farm, he says, in Missouri, and lived
on it until it was prosperous. He
found the present Mrs. Wellman al
Dover, fell in love with her and mar
ried her. She was not the kind of 8
girl that would take kindly to living
on stock ranch thirty miles from g
railroad, and, besides, was an enthu.
siast on the subject of painting, and
50 the day after they were married
they came to New York. She stud.
led painting and he looked for some.
thing to employ his time, and didn't
find it.
Callers are welcomed BY shiny
little colored boy, and with an air of
confidential mystery ushered into a
private room up stairs, where pres.
emily either Mr.. or Mrs. Wellman
comes and opens conversation with
a confidential air that says, Il un.
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